Growing up, I watched my mom cut pineapple with ridges so many times. I thought it was the normal way of peeling and cutting it. Then I learned there were other ways people were cutting pineapples by using a pineapple corer (mind blown!). A lot of the sweet part of the pineapple is near the edge where the peel and pineapple eyes are. To use a corer is definitely quick but to me, it is such a waste of good fruit!
Why cut pineapple with ridges?
Sure, it may be a little more time consuming to cut the pineapple this way but if you ask me, it looks visually more appealing. After all, do we not feast with our eyes first? You are also creating minimal fruit waste by only carving out what you need to. The sweetness of the pineapple is near the peel, so to use this method will give you more sweet fruit to enjoy (and bragging rights as a fruit ninja!)
How to trim a whole pineapple
Make sure to use a wood cutting board with a hand towel underneath it to stop it from shifting. Cutting a pineapple can be slippery and may cause more harm than good if you are not set up properly. Start by cutting the crown 1 inch into the pineapple. Then cut the base of the pineapple also 1 inch into the fruit. This will help keep your pineapple upright with minimal shifting while you work too.
How to peel and cut ridges into pineapple
Keep pineapple upright and hold the top with one hand. Use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the peel in vertical strips all around the pineapple as close to the edge as you can by following its contours. Don’t worry about the pineapple eyes, we want them exposed not completely removed since we’ll be cutting ridges into the pineapple by following the diagonal line. To cut ridges, lay pineapple on its side with the base facing you. With a paring knife, start making incisions into the sides of 2 or 3 pineapple eyes in the shape of a V. Remove the eyes and work on the next set of eyes but be careful not to cut too deep (only enough to remove the eyes). Continue to do this all around the pineapple from top to bottom, lining up the diagonal lines in a row as you go. When done, you can cut the pineapple however you like.
How To Cut A Whole Pineapple Without Waste
Ingredients
- 1 small paring knife
- 1 9-inch chef's knife
- 1 whole sweet ripe pineapple
Instructions
- Use a wood cutting board with a hand towel underneath the board to minimize your pineapple from slipping while you work.
- Trim your pineapple by laying it on its side and cut off the crown (spiky top) about 1 inch into the pineapple and 1 inch off the base.
- Stand your pineapple back up on its base. While holding the top of the pineapple, use a chef's knife to cut the peel in vertical strips as close to the edge as you can by following its contours. This will expose the 'eyes' of the pineapple but don't worry, we will remove those next.
- Lay pineapple back on its side with the bottom of the pineapple facing you. Use the eyes of the pineapple as your guide (you should be able to see them in a diagonal line). With a small paring knife, cut out 2 or 3 pineapple eyes at a time by making a V cut on the left and right side of the eyes. Be careful not to make cuts too deep as you want to keep as much of the sweet pineapple as possible. Work your way around the pineapple starting from the top and working your way around towards the bottom.
- At this point, you can cut your pineapple anyway you like. You can cut it into cubes, round discs or core it and keep it whole as a display. I like to serve it by cutting the pineapple in half, lengthwise. Then Cut it in half again to have 4 quarters of the pineapple. Cut off the core on each quarter and then slice the pineapple diagonally to serve.
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